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Education Mission

The Education Department at the New-York Historical Society offers a wealth of resources and learning opportunities designed to make history come alive!

Education programs are made possible through endowments established by the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Hearst Foundations. Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The New-York Historical Society is grateful to the generous supporters of its educational initiatives, including the New York Life Foundation, the Emilie Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, the Barker Welfare Foundation, the Bay and Paul Foundation, Macy’s, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The William T. Morris Foundation, The Joseph C. and Clare F. Goodman Memorial Foundation, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, the C. Jay Moorhead Foundation, the Alice Lawrence Foundation, and The Angela and Scott Jaggar Foundation.

Support the New-York Historical Society

Help us present groundbreaking exhibitions and develop educational programs about our nation's history for more than 200,000 schoolchildren annually.

Education

Field Trips
Grades 9 through 12

SPECIAL EXHIBITION PROGRAM

The Long Road to Equality January 16, 2015 – October 25, 2015
Introduce your students to 200 years of African American heroes who fought for civil rights, from the Civil War to the 1960s. The tour will culminate in an exploration of Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein, where students will learn about the historic march and its impact on the creation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory voter registration practices in the South.

EARLY NEW YORK

Life in New Amsterdam
Learn about the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, and the lives of Native Americans and enslaved people.

The American Revolution in New York
Learn about the American Revolution in New York through paintings, primary sources, and artifacts.

Slavery in New York
Understand the experiences of enslaved people and the essential roles they played in the development of New York under Dutch, British, and American rule.

New York City: Then and Now
Explore the evolution of our city, comparing and contrasting how daily life has changed across the centuries.

THE NATION GROWS

New York and the Civil War
Analyze the debates that raged in New York over slavery, states’ rights, and the rights of citizens; and learn about the experiences of soldiers.

Industrialization
From robber barons to factory workers, get to know the Gilded Age New Yorkers who transformed the city into a manufacturing capital.

HISTORICAL INQUIRY AND DISCOVERY

Objects Tell Stories
Learn to think and work the way historians do: analyzing objects from the past to discover what they tell us about life long ago.

Being a Historian
Experience the kind of work that historians do, from examining an artifact to analyzing a painting to draw conclusions about the past.

Working with Primary SourcesAvailable Spring 2015
In this exciting new program students visit the museum galleries and our research library to discover how both collections can yield exciting revelations about our nation’s history. Students sharpen their analytical skills and build their ability to draw meaningful conclusions from personal observations.

To download a PDF of these programs, click here. If you have any questions, please contact us at 212-485-9293